Seakhoa masters the arts
NO ORDINARY artist is able to dabble in more than one art form and excel in all of them. But rising star Sindiswa Seakhoa is no ordinary artist.
Born at a village called Ga-Tsebe in Tshwane, Seakhoa is a songwriter, music composer, guitarist, singer, puppeteer, a poet, an award-winning playwright and an actress.
Her debut album, Tata , was launched to rave reviews at the International Jazz Day celebrations in April last year at the South African State Theatre.
The 44-year-old has performed locally and abroad, including featuring at Nelson Mandela s 95th birthday celebrations. She has shared the stage with greats such as Vusi Mahlasela, Madala Kunene, Gcina Mhlophe and poet laureate Keorapetse Kgositsile. Seakhoa also released a single titled Nank’
uNomvula in May this year. Her debut play, The Pain, won the 1998 FNB VITA AWARD as the most outstanding production at the Windybrow Annual Arts Festival. Her second play, Thespian, featured at the Young Writers Festival at the Market Theatre in 2002. She also acted in many productions such as Selaelo Maredi s Black Age, Cabbages and Bullets, The Transistor Radio and The Wheel, Bessie Head’s Maru as well as in Shakespeare s Julius Caesar. She is the founding director of record label, Kayamina Music, as well as the executive accounts director at Write Associates, a onestop events and project management company.
I was inspired by many artists at home and abroad. I appreciate good music which is conversational and ever relevant,” she says.
She says her husband Morakabe Seakhoa had a hand in pushing her to launch her music career earlier than planned.
He always puts me on the spot when we are at events. He would announce that my wife Sindiswa will hit us with a song or two And I would hesitate a bit, especially because I would not be part of the programme, but I would have no choice but to sing,” she says.
Her breakthrough came when she was invited to take part at the 4th Chinua Achebe Annual Colloquia at Brown University, Rhode Island, US.
My husband was pencilled to deliver a speech, and I performed my poetry. I had then started my guitar classes and had just composed my first song,
Tata , which is dedicated to my late father.
She received so much love from the audience that she couldn t stop composing when she returned to South Africa. I went into the studio for a year to record a full album, which I co-produced with Lunga Masondo under my record label,” Seakhoa enthused.
She says she has never had other interests besides the arts.
After completing my matric I intended to study public relations to impress my then employer who was funding my registration. However, I could not find space because the public relations class was already full. I happily enrolled to study drama at Soyikwa Arts Academy,” says Seakhoa.
I started singing in choirs at school and at church. I was the shyest among all my siblings, but gifted musically.”
She describes herself as quite eclectic because she dabbles in a number of artistic endeavours.
I love all forms of the arts. Sadly it is impossible to partake in all of them at once, so I always have to prioritise what needs to be done at a particular time,” she says.
She admires the late Miriam Makeba, Pakistani s social activist Malala Yousafzai and India s Kailash Satyarthi.
These two are champions of struggles against suppression and oppression of children and their right to education,” says Seakhoa.